City bar with a ‘no ego’ policy can be found hidden behind a fridge door

A new bar in Manchester invites drinkers to step into a bustling burger spot, slip through a fridge door, and descend into one of the city’s trendiest new bars, Ego Death.

Located in the basement of Super Awesome Deluxe on Thomas Street in the Northern Quarter, guests are asked to shed their inhibitions and embrace a night of great vibes and exceptional drinks.

Its cosy corners feature candlelit nooks, plush seating, and exposed brick walls adorned with murals, mirrors, and urban art, making it feel reminiscent of a New York hotspot. 

With a drinks menu packed with bourbon, Champagne, and a playlist spanning funk to soft rock, Ego Death seamlessly blends New York cool with Mancunian charm.

The bar is led by Cressida Lawlor, formerly of London Cocktail Club and Sexy Fish, who has brought her expertise to this moody yet welcoming space.

In collaboration with Super Awesome Deluxe and Almost Famous creator Beau Myers, the bar promotes an ethos of leaving your troubles and self-consciousness at the door, enforcing a ‘no egos’ entry policy and an ‘anything goes’ atmosphere.

“We want to build adrenaline and tension throughout the night,” Cressida shared with the Manchester Evening News, painting a picture of the Ego Death experience.

“Before you know it, you’ve made five mates, you’re singing along to Fleetwood Mac and you’re having the best night of your life. That’s what everybody wants, right? “.

Cressida revealed her decade-long dream of opening her own bar has finally come to fruition with the launch of a new venue situated beneath the recently-opened Super Awesome Deluxe, an opportunity she describes as too good to pass up.

“I just feel we can both compliment each other really well,” she said, detailing how the transition between Super Awesome and her bar, Ego Death, is designed to help patrons shed their inhibitions amidst shifting vibes.

“To be fair, when I had the idea of opening a bar, I only ever really envisioned the team and the atmosphere really, the rest seems to have just fallen into place. But I feel it all works really well.”

Before guests can enter through the unique fridge door entrance, they must buzz an intercom and those with reservations need to know a secret passcode.

Cressida acknowledges the gimmicky nature of the hidden entry but insists that Ego Death stands out for its quality and contribution to the city’s nightlife.

“I’m really aware that opening a bar that has a secret entrance has been done to death,” she admitted. “And I know if you want to make a bar really a bar that’s worth visiting, you need to think about the whole thing. It’s about making people feel something.”

The bar’s aesthetic could easily be mistaken for a trendy spot in New York, blurring the lines between Manhattan and Manchester.

She said: “We could be in New York right now – is it Manhattan or Manchester, who cares? We’ve got lovely exposed brick which, to me, feels like a nod to Brooklyn and the Meat Packing District as well as a slice of the Northern Quarter.

“We’ve added lovely brass finishings and the dark blue wall just adds a bit of sophistication. We wanted to go for something where there is great lighting wherever you sit, giving a cool and sexy vibe where you just don’t want to leave.

“Think of us as a rugged, diamond-encrusted knuckle-duster. If you found a knuckle-duster in the street that’s a bit rough and ready but solid silver, that’s us.”

When it comes to the drinks offering, there’s a lot to get excited about – whether you’re after one of the Whisky or Champagne specialities, a twist on a classic or something with no-alcohol whatsoever.

The most expensive cocktail on the menu costs £14, with some non-alc options available for just £7.

“We made this menu in eight days in my kitchen,” Cressida laughs. “We thought, let’s base it on districts in New York – it’s not highly conceptual, it’s just something that everyone can get along with. There’s something for everyone and if there isn’t, we can do classics and they’ll be very good classics.

“We’re about bridging the gap between the familiar and the unfamiliar. If you want to bring your 85-year-old grandma here, and she only drinks Brandy Alexander’s at cocktail bars, we’ve got that for her.”

“We’ve also got three really good signature non-alcohol drinks, we see non-alcoholic drinks with the same importance as alcoholic cocktails. There’s nothing worse than having a non-alcoholic cocktail that hasn’t been thought out or layered.”

Indulgent mixology takes the spotlight at a swanky establishment with libations like ‘The Samantha’, a champagne cosmopolitan homage to Sex and the City’s own, or the ‘Pick Me Up’—an innovative twist on the classic Espresso Martini.

On the flip side, teetotalers can savour creations such as the hockey-inspired ‘Pink Whitney’, served in an elegant Champagne flute, or the unique ‘Tomatini’, a non-alcoholic rendition of a tomato martini.

“We’ve really gone right to the wire with our non-alcoholic choices and championed it,” says Cressida, the visionary behind these concoctions. “They’re really good signatures, we know it’s important and you don’t want to isolate people – it’s not like non-alcoholic versions, they have their own standalone names and identities. Hospitality is about being hospitable, right? “.

And when it comes to inclusivity, Cressida underscores the bar’s ethos of providing refuge from life’s pressures, emphasizing a fun, ego-free experience. “We are all about having an Ego Death here,” she declares.

“If you’re coming in with prejudice or an attitude then it’s not going to work out – it’s not for you.”

Ego Death will be welcoming patrons from Wednesday to Saturday, with operating hours of 5pm-1am on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, and 4pm to 3am on Fridays and Saturdays. It’s advised to book in advance, but walk-ins are also accepted.